TomyAnn Question

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

QUESTION:

I remember seeing a boat called TOMYANN. Was that a 7-Litre or an Unlimited? - Andy Kunz

ANSWER:

TOMYANN was an Unlimited hydroplane, which was an enlarged hull duplicate of the 7-Litre Class WILDCATTER of 1952. As I understand it, TOMYANN was acually designed in the late 1940s but didn't make it into the water until the early 1960s. The original owner/driver was former SLO-MO pilot Joe Taggart, who built TOMYANN (named after two of his children) as a hobby and in his spare time. It was powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin.

Taggart tested the boat at a Limited race in New Martinsville, West Virginia, in 1964. TOMYANN's only appearance at an Unlimited event was the 1965 Madison Regatta, where the boat was unable to qualify due to a twisted quill shaft.

An unusual thing about TOMYANN was the lack of an instrument panel. The gauges were all mounted directly on the engine!

Over the years, TOMYANN has appeared at quite a few Antique Boat Shows, sanctioned by the Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS). It was last seen in 1999 as a static "prop" during the filming of the MADISON movie.